The present application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,569, issued Jan. 13, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,679, issued Sep. 24, 2002; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,865, issued Jun. 27, 2006, and the entire contents of each are hereby incorporated by reference.
Various types of exercise devices such as stationary bikes, treadmills, stair climbers, rowing machines, and the like, have been developed. Such exercise devices mimic a corresponding physical activity to some degree. For example, known stair climbing machines typically include movable foot supports that reciprocate to simulate to some degree the foot and leg motion encountered when climbing stairs. Known stationary bikes typically include a crank with pedals that rotate upon application of a force to the pedals by a user.
Various ways to control the forces generated by such exercise devices have been developed. Known control schemes include constant-force arrangements and constant-power arrangements. Also, some exercise devices vary the force required in an effort to simulate hills or the like encountered by a user. However, known control schemes/methods do not provide force feedback that realistically simulates the forces encountered when performing the actual physical activity to be simulated.
Accordingly, a control system and exercise device that alleviates the problems associated with known devices would be advantageous.